Ever found yourself in the oil-rich city of Port Harcourt, the serene Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria or the ever boisterous Lagos? Then you must be very familiar with one thing. Their mode of transportation! Usually, because of the population in these highly urban and metropolitan cities, there is hardly any other form that can conveniently convey people but big buses.
Around the FCT (Abuja), the commercial “coaster buses” ply within the city centres and also the satellite areas within its jurisdiction. It goes as far as neighbouring states such as Nasarawa and Niger States, commuting passengers who, because of the high rent within the FCT, prefer to live in these neighbouring states where the cost of living and rent is not as exorbitant.
Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, earned its boisterousness as a result of its beehive of trading activities and its ever bubbling inhabitants. It is a major African financial centre and is the economic hub of Nigeria as well.
Lagos is also among the top ten of the world’s fastest-growing cities and urban areas. The megacity has the fourth-highest Gross Domestic Product in Africa and houses one of the largest and busiest seaports on the continent with neighbouring states of Oyo and Ogun states.
Portharcourt is the capital of Rivers state but the life of the state is in its capital. Aside from the fact that the city is a beautiful place to live in and it offers a different culture, there is so much going on there! Port Harcourt city (PHC) attracts thousands of tourists a year, making it one of the most prominent cities in the country in terms of visitors and indigenes. It Shares boundaries with Abia state and Cross River state.
As a passenger in ‘molue’, ‘araba’, ‘coaster’ ‘BRT’ or ‘Elrufai’ you will observe that these buses have one thing in common, being overcrowded. It is possible that most low-income earners prefer to use these buses because the transport fare is usually cheaper. One demerit of using this form of transportation is the fact that it is usually filled to the brim with passengers who most times would have fisticuffs or steal from each other. The noise that emits in these buses can be deafening.
Though these public buses have been known to save the teeming masses who may not be able to afford conventional taxis, the ills associated with these buses are immeasurable. In the case of road accidents, overcrowded buses stand a high risk of casualties and fatalities.
So, the next time you see these overcrowded buses, bear in mind that you may either be robbed or engaged in a brawl.
ThankGod E. Airiohuodion